Fluid couplings



JJE. BECKER FLUID COUPLINGS Filed June 11, 1959 June 13, 1961 2,988,006

INVENTOI? JOHN E. BECKER A TTO/PNEY n wd S s PEF 2,988,006 FLUID COUPLINGS John E. Becker, R.R. No. 3, Darlington, Ontario, Canada Filed June 11, 1959, Ser. No. 819,722 2 Claims. (Cl. 103-115) This invention relates to improvements in the construction of fluid couplings, torque converters and like mechanisms having rotating elements containing fluid impacting radial vanes, and wherein the diameters of the elements are proportionate to their speed of rotation and the horse power requirements. Under mass production conditions wherein many thousands of same capacity mechanisms are produced, little or no manufacturing cost problems are presented as the high cost of the necessary molds, dies, etc., add little to the cost of each element; which condition, however, obviously does not hold true under manufacturing conditions wherein mechanisms of various capacities are custom produced in relatively small batches to suit a variety of speed and horse power transmission conditions.

One object of this invention is to devise an arrangement comprising a plurality of identical shell ring sections each containing a vane and arranged to be nested together to form impeller or runner shell rings, said sections being preferably metal stampings produced from a die which is relatively low in cost in comparison to the high cost of producing impeller and runner elements having their shells made of castings, spinnings or stampings and wherein the vanes are formed integrally with the shell as a unit, or spot welded or clinched in place within the shell.

A further and particular object of the invention is to so form my vane and shell sections that they, while nested together, may be adjusted relatively to one another to provide a range of shell diameters and whereby impeller and runner elements to suit a variety of operating requirements can be produced from the use of a single, low cost die.

Another and important object of the invention is to so form the shell sections that they closely nest irrespective of the diameter of the shell they are assembled to form.

A presently preferred embodiment of the novel relationship of parts according to the present invention is illustrated, by way of example, on the accompanying sheet of drawings, and as described in detail in the descriprion which follows.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the impeller and runner shells of a standard type fluid coupling and in which the shell sections are in nested relationship in accordance with by invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the shell sections,

FIG. 3 is an inside edge view of one of the shell sections and wherein the dimensional relationship between its several parts is indicated.

FIG. 4 illustrates the assembly of a number of the shell sections as they would be arranged to provide a relatively large diameter shell, and

FIG. 5 is a similar view to FIG. 4 and showing the shell sections as they would be arranged to provide a relatively small diameter shell.

In FIG. 1 which illustrates the driving portion of a fluid coupling of substantially the same arrangement as disclosed in my United States Patent No. 2,627,167 February 3, 1953, 2 indicates an impeller shell attached to a driving shaft 3 and 4 a runner shell attached to a driven shaft 5, and in which each of the shells contains 2,988,005. Patented June 13,,1961

similar radial impeller and runner vanes 6. Each shell comprises a plurality of my shell sections assembled and arranged in nested relationship as shall now be described.

As shall be seen upon reference to FIG. 2, the sec tion comprises the vane 6 and an integral segmental portion forming part of the peripheral wall of the shell and part of one side wall of the shell, such portion being in the form of a stepped lip extending around the curved edge 7 of the section. The outer portion 8 of the lip is sufficiently expanded to receive the inner portion 9 of an adjoining shell section nested therein, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As the sections are of the same size and shape it will be appreciated that they may be readily assembled in nested formation to constitute a completely vaned impeller shell or a completely vaned runner shell, as the case may be. The sections forming an assembled shell are suitably secured to one another by any well known bonding means 10, such as obtained by braising, silver soldering or welding the edges of the overlapping lip portions 8 to the overlapped lip portions 9.

In order that various desired diameters of shells may be readily obtained from the assembly of shell sections of a basic size and shape, the sections are shaped and proportioned as shown in FIG. 3. In the section shape the outer face of the inner portion 9 of the lip has a curvature corresponding to the arc about a radius A extending from the center of the edge 12 of the vane 6. The

inner face of the outer lip portion 8 also has a curvature corresponding to the are about a radius B extending from a point C located centrally of the distance between the terminations 13 of the outer edge of the lip portion 8, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The radius A is of substantially the same length as the radius B and whereby the lip portions 9 of the vane members will nest within the lip portions 8 of adjacent vane members as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

As the curvature arcs of the lip portions are about the radii A and B extending from the central portions of the vane members, a ball and socket type of inter-engage,- ment is constituted and whereby it is possible to so adjust the sections relatively to one another that shells of various diameters may be obtained. FIG. 4 shows the sections arranged to provide a shell of relatively large diameter D, while FIG. 5 shows the sections arranged to provide a shell of relatively small diameter E, and from which arrangements it will be observed that irrespective of shell diameter a close contact nesting of the sections is always obtainable due to the outer faces of the lip portions 9 following the same are as the inner faces of the lip portions 8 as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing.

From the foregoing description in conjunction with the drawing, it will be apparent that I have realized the object of my invention in providing an arrangement whereby impeller and runner shells, and the like, of a variety of diameters may be produced from the use of a single low cost die producing the metal stampings from which the shells may be formed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A vaned rotor wheel for a fluid coupling or the like and comprising a dished semi-toroidal shell formed of a plurality of similar integrally prefabricated and radi v i -seems '2. A vaned rotor wheel as defined in claim 1, wherein the inner faces of the overlapping lip portions of the elements and the outer faces of the overlapped lip portions of the elements have curvatures substantially corresponding to arcs about radii of equal length and extending from the centers of the vanes of the elements and providing ball and socket type inter-engagement between the overlapped and overlapping portions of adjacent element lips to permit the overlapped portions to be swung relatively to the overlapping portions for the purposes set forth. 10 1,121,561

UNITED STATES PATENTS Lawaczeck Feb. 4, 1930 Jandasek Mar. 24, 1953 Lunde 'et a1. r- Apr. 28, 1959 lLunde et a1. July 18, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 7, 1956 

